Trio of Three-Run Homers Power Boomers in Rout of Mud Monsters
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (Aug. 8, 2026) - The Mississippi Mud Monsters (30-46) could not keep the ball in the ballpark as three three-run home runs powered the Schaumburg Boomers (42-35) to an 18-4 victory Saturday evening.
Monster Notes
Schaumburg used three three-run homers to pull away at Wintrust Field.
- Travis Holt drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double in the eighth inning.
- Karell Paz recorded Mississippi’s first hit of the night and drove in a run in the seventh.
- Vantrel Reed and Kyle Booker picked up sixth-inning singles for Mississippi’s first multi-runner threat.
- Joshua Shelly became the position player pitcher again and tossed a scoreless inning.
- Schaumburg scored 12 runs across the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Walsh Gets the Start
The left-hander looked to build on his previous outing against the Boomers.
Looking to even the series after losing the opener in walk-off fashion, the Mud Monsters sent left-hander John Walsh to the mound.
Coming off his best start of the year against these same Schaumburg Boomers in last Sunday’s finale on August 2, Walsh set out to replicate his performance of 5.1 innings pitched while allowing three runs.
After the Mud Monsters were retired in order to begin their day with the bats against Schaumburg starter Cole Cook, Walsh walked leadoff man Alec Craig.
The next batter, Cole Smith, followed with an RBI double to open the scoring at 1-0 in favor of Schaumburg.
With no outs, Smith moved to third base on a fly ball, but the southpaw worked his way out of the jam having surrendered just the one run.
Boomers Add Three
Schaumburg extended its lead in the second inning.
In the bottom of the second, Walsh ran into more traffic on the basepaths as Kyle Fitzgerald opened the frame with a double and Will Prater walked to put two Boomers aboard.
After Walsh picked up the first out of the inning on an Alex Calarco flyout, the left-hander issued his second walk of the inning to load the bases.
Craig followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0 Schaumburg before Smith drew a bases-loaded walk to push the advantage to 3-0.
Anthony Calarco grounded out to shortstop Amani Larry, but with the bases still loaded, a third run scored to make it a 4-0 Boomers lead.
Walsh got the final out of the frame on a strikeout of Banks Tolley.
Cook Settles In
Schaumburg’s starter kept Mississippi quiet early.
In the top of the third, the Mud Monsters were able to collect their first hit of the day when Karell Paz notched a one-out single.
Prior to that, Cook had retired seven Mississippi batters in a row.
Despite allowing his first baserunner, Cook kept Mississippi scoreless.
Walsh was able to toss his first scoreless inning of the evening in the bottom of the third and picked up his second strikeout of the outing for out number one on Kellum Clark.
Cook returned to retiring the side in order as the Mud Monsters bats were silenced in the top of the fourth.
Two More in the Fourth
Tolley pushed Schaumburg’s lead to six.
In the home half of the inning, the first two men, Christian Fedko and Craig, reached on a single and walk before a sacrifice bunt by Smith pushed both into scoring position.
Walsh got a groundout for out number two that held the runners in scoring position, but Tolley picked up a two-run single to increase the Boomers lead to 6-0.
After the Mud Monsters were sent down in order for the fourth time, Tristan House took over for Walsh on the hill in the bottom of the fifth.
Walsh finished his day going 4.0 innings, allowing six runs on six hits while walking five and striking out two.
House picked up a strikeout of Fitzgerald looking for out number one before allowing a one-out single to Prater.
The right-handed reliever rebounded to pick up the final two outs and toss a scoreless inning to send the game to the top of the sixth.
First Threat
Mississippi put two aboard in the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, the Mud Monsters picked up their second and third hits of the day on a one-out infield single from Vantrel Reed and a two-out single from Kyle Booker.
Reed moved to second on a groundout by Brayland Skinner that went for the second out and advanced to third on Booker’s hit.
Despite Mississippi’s first opportunity with multiple baserunners, Cook pitched his way out of the inning to keep the shutout going.
Three-Run Homers Start Flying
The Boomers broke the game open in the sixth.
House’s outing continued into the bottom of the sixth, where the Boomers picked up consecutive singles to lead off before Anthony Calarco blasted a three-run home run to push Schaumburg’s advantage to 9-0.
Later in the inning with two outs, Anthony Calarco’s younger brother, Alex Calarco, blasted a three-run home run of his own to push the lead to 12-0 Schaumburg.
Mississippi Gets One
Paz brought home the first Mud Monsters run in the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, the Mud Monsters were able to scratch across their first run of the evening after AJ Fritz led off with a single.
One batter later, Travis Holt picked up a one-out single to join him on the basepaths.
Victor Diaz then reached on an error by Schaumburg third baseman Fedko to load the bases.
Paz grounded a ball to second base that the Boomers attempted to turn into a double play.
Paz reached on the play after Schaumburg eliminated Diaz at second, while Fritz came across to make it a 12-1 ballgame.
Another Three-Run Shot
Tolley hit Schaumburg’s third three-run homer of the night.
Braden Forsyth replaced House on the mound for the bottom of the seventh, and the right-hander allowed a single to Craig to start things before picking up a strikeout for out number one.
Forsyth then hit Anthony Calarco with a pitch to put two Boomers aboard.
Tolley followed with Schaumburg’s third three-run homer of the evening to make it a 15-1 Boomers lead.
Holt Clears the Bases
Mississippi scored three times in the eighth.
Tanner Shears replaced Cook on the mound in the top of the eighth and issued a leadoff walk to Skinner.
Shears picked up back-to-back strikeouts for the first two outs of the inning before issuing another free pass to Fritz and hitting Larry to load the bases.
Holt followed by lining a ball down the left-field line to clear the bases and make it a 15-4 score.
Schaumburg Adds Three More
Shelly recorded the final three outs on the mound.
Forsyth continued his relief outing into the bottom of the eighth, where he was greeted by back-to-back singles to put two men aboard.
Smith followed with an RBI single to make it 16-4.
Anthony Calarco then smacked a two-run double to clear the bases and knock Forsyth out of the game as the Mud Monsters turned to position player Joshua Shelly on the mound with the score now 18-4.
Shelly was able to hold Schaumburg scoreless and record the final three outs before the game reached the top of the ninth.
Jack Snyder emerged from the Boomers bullpen, and despite Reed reaching with one out on an error by Craig at shortstop, the Mud Monsters went quietly into the night.
Full Box Score
Schaumburg 18, Mississippi 4 - Aug. 8, 2026 at Wintrust Field
Line Score
Mississippi Batting
Schaumburg Batting
Mississippi Pitching
Schaumburg Pitching
Box Score Notes
Mississippi extra-base hit: Holt doubled in the eighth inning off Shears.
Schaumburg extra-base hits: Smith doubled in the first. Fitzgerald doubled in the second. Anthony Calarco doubled in the eighth. Anthony Calarco homered in the sixth. Alex Calarco homered in the sixth. Tolley homered in the seventh.
RBIs: Mississippi - Holt 3, Paz. Schaumburg - Craig, Smith 3, Anthony Calarco 6, Tolley 5, Alex Calarco 3.
Hit by pitch: Larry was hit by Shears. Anthony Calarco was hit by Forsyth.
Defense: Mississippi played errorless defense. Schaumburg turned one double play and committed two errors.
Base running: Craig, Prater and Fedko stole bases for Schaumburg. Smith recorded a sacrifice bunt.
Pitching: Walsh 83 pitches, 43 strikes. House 56 pitches, 34 strikes. Forsyth 44 pitches, 26 strikes. Shelly 17 pitches, 8 strikes. Cook 97 pitches, 67 strikes. Shears 39 pitches, 21 strikes. Snyder 6 pitches, 6 strikes.
Game information: Wintrust Field. Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. First pitch: 6:34 p.m. Final out: 9:36 p.m. Time of game: 2:02. Attendance: 7,920. Weather: 77 degrees. Wind: 6 mph W.
Umpires: Nick Reynolds, Blake McKnight and Bryce Aubart. Official scorer: Riva.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters wrap up their three-game series against the Boomers Sunday afternoon.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT. Right-handers take the mound for both squads as Julian Minaya (0-0, 0.00) makes his first start for Mississippi, while Cole Zaffiro (0-3, 5.26) starts for Schaumburg.
About the Mississippi Mud Monsters
Baseball Lives Here. It Just Got a Little Weirder.
The Mississippi Mud Monsters are a professional baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, competing in the Frontier League. Built in the mud and rooted in Mississippi, the Mud Monsters believe baseball should be unapologetically fun, a little weird, wildly welcoming, and deeply tied to the place it calls home. Real baseball. Real people. This is swamp-built, Mississippi-made baseball, where the vibes matter just as much as the final score.